Abakaliki, Nigeria – The Ebonyi Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has called on women and youths to embrace legitimate means of livelihood and acquire skills to avoid involvement in social vices.
The State Commissioner for Women, Mrs Felicia Nwakpuma, made the appeal on Friday, while interacting with journalists on its intervention following the recent arrest of 30 individuals, including women, during a security operation over alleged involvement in prostitution and drug-related activities.
The report recalls that the ministry of capital city development and urban planning, alongside state security operatives, conducted the raid on a guest house in Abakaliki over security concerns.
Nwakpuma said prioritising education, vocational training, entrepreneurship and other productive engagements would improve their chances of securing employment and establish independent sources of income.
She said the ministry became concerned about the possibility that underage girls might be among those arrested in the reports circulating on social media and platforms.
According to her, the ministry seeks to determine whether any of the girls required immediate protection and government assistance.
She explained that the ministry’s primary objective was to establish whether girls between the ages of 12 and 15 were involved in the incident, noting that the welfare of vulnerable children remained a major government priority.
She added that the ministry was prepared to provide rehabilitation, educational assistance and other forms of support to any minors identified during the investigation.
She stated that such assistance would include helping affected children return to formal education if they had dropped out of school, as well as provide opportunities to acquire vocational skills that could enable them to become self-reliant.
She, however, disclosed that the records available to her indicated that most of the women were in their 30s and 40s, while one of the individuals she interviewed reportedly stated that she was about 23 years old.
According to her, based on the records reviewed, no underage girls were identified and the ministry remained committed to protecting children and other vulnerable persons from exploitation.
The official urged women in the state to explore legitimate economic opportunities such as tailoring, hair dressing, small-scale businesses, trading and other vocational enterprises.
She acknowledged that poverty and difficult socio-economic circumstances could expose some women to vulnerable situations.
She encouraged them to seek sustainable opportunities that would promote financial independence and improve their living conditions.
She also appealed to parents to provide proper guidance, education and moral upbringing to their daughters, stressing that parental involvement is essential in helping young people make responsible choices.
She described prostitution as morally wrong and drug-related offences as criminal matters.
